Santa Clara man ordered to pay $6,000 for allegedly poaching a deer

Buck scored 184 inches and considered a trophy

SILVER CITY &GT;&GT; A Santa Clara man has been fined $6,000 for poaching in a case that sprang from an anonymous tip, New Mexico Fish and Game said in a news release issued Tuesday.

Daniel Gomez, 30, was ordered by Grant County Magistrate Judge Ray Base last month to pay $6,000 in civil penalties for killing a mule deer buck he was found guilty of poaching in January 2013. The buck scored 184 inches and was considered a trophy, allowing for higher civil penalties, according to the release.

The case was initiated by an anonymous tip to the Operation Game Thief hotline. Gomez said he killed the deer in Game Management Unit 16. However, several area residents had taken video of the deer alive shortly before Gomez poached it in Game Management Unit 23, an area west of Highway 180 where Gomez did not have a valid hunting license. Conservation officers seized the deer from Gomez and submitted DNA samples to a forensics laboratory in Wyoming. DNA samples taken from the suspected kill site matched the samples taken from the seized deer.

Gomez was found guilty of unlawful possession of the deer in July 2013, and fined $400 by Grant County Magistrate Judge Maurine Laney.

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"The testimony of local residents was absolutely essential in solving this case, and we're extremely grateful that they came forward to do the right thing," Game and Fish Cpl. Matt Pengelly said in the news release.

The testimony of the forensic DNA analyst who matched the deer to the kill site was believed to be a key factor in the conviction. The department paid for travel expenses of the analyst from Wyoming for the criminal and civil trials. Gomez has notified Game and Fish officers that he will appeal the case to District Court. Department officials are preparing to prosecute the case for the third time.

The department encourages anyone with information about this deer to call Operation Game Thief toll-free at 800-432-4263 or www.wildlife.state.nm.us. Callers can remain anonymous and earn rewards if information about poaching leads to charges.